Twisted Teeth
by k0k02417
Summary: Twister tells the gang that he has to go to the dentist for a check-up, what he didn't know was that his check-up could change his life (well at least 2 years of it). Twister comes back with some BIG changes and Otto makes fun of him, but how far is too far? Will Otto stop busting on his best bro? Will Twister stand for it? And will Sam and Reggie do anything about it? OneXShot :-)


**A/N-** _Hey everybody I'm back with a brand new story. This story was already thought off, but I didn't know that untill I started writing it, so honestly I didn't copy anybody's idea. I really love Twister so much and this is dedicated to him lol. :-) The next story about him might be a little bit darker, but I'm not sure yet. Anyway I hope everybody enjoys and any feedback is welcome. Remember to **REVIEW** (if you want of course, I can't force you)._

___**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Rocket Power because if I did the show would still be on T.V I do however own this story. **_

* * *

It was a beautiful day in Ocean Shores. All the locals were out having a great time. Some were walking the pier, some were at the amusement park, and some were just sitting down enjoying the fresh summer air. It was summer time and for the gang that meant "Shoobie City." That was one downside about summer time in Ocean Shores, all the tourist wanted to come and visit, but who could blame them? Ocean Shores had practically everything. There wasn't a whole lot of shoobies out on this particular day, so the gang decided to go surfing, well one of the members of the gang was running a little late.

"Mom I have to go! Can't we talk about this later?" I pleaded. I was already running late as it is. I was supposed to meet the gang at the pier around a half an hour ago, but no, things weren't looking so good for me today.

For starters I woke up late because my alarm didn't go off or maybe I put it on snooze. I can't remember at the time, maybe I dreamed the whole entire thing. Then Lars, my annoying lame-o older brother had to give me my morning whomping. I hate morning whompings. I hate any kind of whomping that Lars gives me, but I can't stop him because he out-strengthens me in every possible way. Sometimes I try to run and hide under the bed or the closet, but he always finds me. I need to pick a better hiding spot next time. Now my mother wants to talk to me about something. I don't understand why it can't wait. Doesn't she understand that I'm a kid with needs? My need at the moment is to go surfing and hang out with my friends, but of course she doesn't see that.

I had my surfing trunks on and my surfboard in hand. I almost made it out the front door until she called my name. Instead of saying "Twister" she used my real name, "Maurice." Maurice sounds like a girl's name. I don't like it; I'm slightly embarrassed by it and let family members ONLY call me by that name. Sometimes the gang calls me by my "official" name just to bust on me or tease me. I really don't let it get to me though. Actually the real term is I "Try" to not let it get to me.

"No Mijo, I must discuss something with you." My mom said in a stern voice. I knew that tone of voice, it meant trouble for me. I could see it a mile away, if not farther. This can't be good.

I slapped my forehead with the palm of my hand. I have a feeling that I'm going to be here longer than I expected. "Fine" I simply said, slumping my way over to the kitchen where my mom called out to me. I leaned my board against the kitchen table and took a seat. My dad already left and so did Lars. They were both lucky enough to get out of the house while they could. Unfortunately luck wasn't on my side today.

My mom was roaming around the kitchen, cleaning what was left of breakfast, which didn't look like a whole lot to me. This was going to take forever. I should have woken up earlier or maybe I should have found a better hiding spot from Lars. I have to remind myself of that next time. Finally my mom faced me. There wasn't any kind of mad expression on her face, so that was a good sign. "Maurice, tomorrow I'm going to take you to the dentist. Hopefully you don't have anything big planned."

Suddenly disappointed washed upon me. Luck definitely wasn't on my side today.

*0*0*

The sun was beaming on the clear ocean water, making it glisten like diamonds on the horizon. It was a perfect day to go surfing and on the plus side the waves were totally on today. "Go Rocket Boy!" Reggie exclaimed as she sat on her surfboard, watching her younger brother surf through a tube. She was fighting with the baby strands of her hair, which were getting in her way of watching her little brother surf. She always decided whether or not to wear her hair up in a ponytail, but she always decided against it because she figured her hair would just fall out of the ponytail anyway.

Sam watched Otto carefully, eyeing his every move, picturing that one day he could be as good as Otto. "Way to go Otto!" Sam yelled excitedly, almost following off his board in the process. Yeah, as if he could ever be like Otto.

Otto surfed through the tube successfully and paddled out to Reggie and Sam, who were watching from a distance. Otto had to be the first one to surf this sweet swell. He couldn't resist passing up an opportunity like this. His whole life was about extreme sports and everybody in Ocean Shores knew that and of course everybody knew that Otto couldn't stand being second best either, he always had to show-off, do the best moves, and win at everything and anything, at the same time.

Reggie on the other hand wasn't as obsessed with sports like her brother Otto. Actually sometimes they didn't even act like siblings. Yes, she was serious when it came down to competitions and stuff, but she knew how to have fun as well. Her real obsession was journalism. She loved writing about anything that interested her, including sports. Reggie was a real feminist and that's why most of the girls in Ocean Shores looked up to her. They thought Reggie was an amazing athlete and very brave when it came to hanging it out with guys all the time, but Reggie thought nothing of it. She liked hanging around with Trish and Sherry, but Reggie loved hanging out with the gang.

Then there's Sammy. Sam isn't as good at sports like Otto, Reggie, and Twister, but he never gave up. He was willing to learn and be great just like them. Obviously sports aren't a big deal to him comparing to Otto, Reggie, and Twister. Sam was more into computers and electronics. The gang did tease him about being way too nerdy, but he didn't care, he enjoyed being a nerd. Sam knew that from day one when he met the gang that he was going to have to adjust to the new particular lifestyle, no matter how much he didn't want to. He knew if he didn't meet the gang like how he did, he wouldn't be on his surfboard at that very moment; he probably would have been doing something useful like homework. He believed that fate had brought them together.

Otto finally reached Reggie and Sam. "Do you see the waves today guys? They're totally curling!" You could see the excitement in Otto's eyes. He loved getting hyped up on stuff like this.

"They are Rocket Boy. They're totally sweet." Reggie replied with a smile, while looking at the waves. She couldn't wait to get out there and start surfing.

"They do look scary though and too big." Sam said frightened. He didn't really want to surf these kinds of waves because he wasn't experienced enough.

Otto and Reggie started laughing and then it fell silent. They noticed that something was out of place, something was missing. The gang looked around the waters and onto the shore. Somebody was missing. A certain Latino boy by the name of Twister was missing.

Twister "Maurice" Rodriguez, the not so bright one of the group, the one that had to say something completely out of this world. Twister wasn't considered a brainiac, but he did have his moments. He was slower than the rest of the group, but the gang could care less, he was Twister after all. He had good intentions, even though his ideas were totally off sometimes. Twister was the sweetest and caring boy you'll probably ever meet in Ocean Shores. Even though he loved picking on Sam, continuously making fun of him because he couldn't nail moves like the rest of the gang, he didn't mean anything by it. Sometimes, very rarely though he would bust on Reggie, but Otto would have to bust on her first, because even though Twister isn't the smartest, he knew to never mess with Reggie. The one person he never busted on was his best bro Otto. He looked up to Otto, practically worshipping the ground he walked on. Whatever Otto did, he did, wherever Otto went, he tagged along too. They were two peas in pod, never separating from each other. Sometimes Twister would just go off and do his own thing, like filming and editing videos or doing something artistic, like painting or drawing. He liked doing things like that, he mentioned that it took his mind off of stuff and helped him relax.

"Uhh guys, where's Twist?" Otto asked confused.

Reggie and Sam shrugged their shoulders, showing that they didn't know where Twister was either. Twister never skipped a day of surfing, especially on a day like this one, where the waves are just right.

"Where could he be?" Reggie asked looking around.

*0*0*

"I'm late I'm late I'm late!" How can I be late? How did time fly by so fast? Oh yeah I remember. My mother was pestering me something about going to the dentist. I didn't get all the details down because I zoned out after 2 minutes. I paddled out onto the glistening water. It felt so warm on my skin, relaxing all of my muscles. I've heard that today was going to be a great swell. I think I heard it from the weatherman, hopefully today he's right. I paddled faster towards the specks of people sitting up on top of the water.

I know the gang is wondering where I'm at. Should I tell them I'm going to the dentist? I really don't want to. Maybe I could just avoid the conversation completely, act like nothing is wrong. The gang is going to be so mad at me. Tomorrow we were supposed to go mountain biking, but obviously that's out of the picture for me. I hate it when I have to miss out on a morning of fun.

I finally reached the gang. They were around in a big circle, obviously talking about where I was at. I hope that I can keep going to the dentist a secret. "Sorry I'm late guys." I said in between breathes. I didn't know how winded I got when I paddled out over here. "My mom was talking to me about something." I had to give an explanation before anybody asked where I was. Since nobody has to ask where I was, I'm hoping they won't push my excuse any further.

"We thought you weren't coming. Otto was the first to notice you weren't here. He seemed worried." Sam said to Twister, while laughing.

"Was not." Otto protested and crossed his arms.

"Bust" Reggie said while laughing, holding her stomach.

"Aww did Otto miss me?" I said to Otto, teasing him and elbowing him in the ribs. I noticed how defensive Otto was when Sam ratted him out. The gang all knew that I wouldn't miss out on a day of surfing. If I did miss out it was because either I was sick, grounded, or dying. Since I'm not in any of those situations my chances of surfing are completely good.

"Cut it out Twist." Otto argued. "What did your mom want anyway? What? You forgot to clean your room or something?" Otto asked, trying to turn the conversation directly to Twister.

I bit the inside of my cheek. I kicked my legs under the water, feeling the warmth of it. I stared at my surfboard, noticing that the water already dried up. Is it that hot outside? I'm debating with myself whether or not how much information I should tell the gang. I could feel three pairs of eyes looking at me intensely, waiting for my answer.

I looked up. "It's nothing." Right when the words escaped my mouth I knew that the words came out to quickly. I wanted to punch myself for answering to quickly, curse me and my big mouth. I bet the gang is really suspicious now.

"We're still on for mountain biking tomorrow right?" Reggie asked uncertain. She had a feeling that the question had to be asked.

Great, more questions. That's exactly what I need. I prepared for Otto's answer, but not Reggie's. What's up with all the questions today? Can't we just surf already and not ask questions. I hate questions, especially if I'm the one that has to answer them. I knew the question was asked directly at me. I might as well tell them the truth. "Umm yeah about that. You see I can't...well I kind of...can't make it tomorrow." I said while rubbing the back of my neck nervously. I do this every time I get nervous; I guess it's out of habit. Since it's out of habit the gang is definitely going to notice something is wrong. There goes strike two for me.

"What?! Are you kidding me? We planned the mountain biking for weeks now. You were so stoked on it. What's more important than mountain biking?" Otto protested angrily. Otto knew something was up with his best bro. He knew Twister wouldn't bail on mountain biking all of sudden, there must be reason why his best bro is acting like this.

Strike three and I'm out. Of course Otto would go totally agro on me, of course he didn't know why I'm bailing on mountain biking. He always has to go hectic and hay-wire on the simplest things. At least he gets to go mountain biking, while I'm going to be the one sitting in a dentist chair. I should tell them the truth already and get it over with. "I have to go to the dentist." I mumbled really low.

"You have to what?" Sam asked questionably. The waves drowned out Twister's answer, forcing him to re-answer Otto's question.

I straightened my hat before answering again. "I have a dentist appointment tomorrow okay?" I said angrily. It was bad enough that I had to say it the first time.

"The dentist? Are you kidding me?" Otto asked a little too loud. "You're ditching us to go to the lame dentist. Since when do you go to the dentist?"

I looked up towards the sky, feeling defeated. "My mom's making me go alright? So back off!" I said annoyed. I don't know why I'm getting so angry. It's not Otto's fault that I have to go to the dentist, but he isn't helping by ranking on me.

Otto let out a disapproving noise. "You're mom? Yeah right."

I balled my hands into fist, feeling upset because Otto seemed like he didn't believe me. "It's true. That's why I wasn't here earlier duh. She told me I'm going to the dentist tomorrow and I can't go mountain biking with any of you. We were arguing, that's why I'm late." I explained to the gang, Otto especially.

Sam and Reggie looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. They were okay with Twister's answer, made sense to them, but Otto thought otherwise.

"Whatever dude. While you're in the dentist chair getting your teeth pulled out, we're going to be catching extreme air!" Otto was already excited about tomorrow. He was glad this was happening to Twister instead of himself.

I moaned, knowing what Otto said was true. He was always right. While I'm at the dentist, my friends are going to be having the time of their lives. "I know I know! Please don't remind me. Can he surf already?" I asked impatiently, wanting to drop the subject.

Reggie noticed that Twister didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Yeah Twist let's go. Come on Sammy. You have to catch at least one wave." Reggie said eagerly.

Otto, Reggie and I went towards the wave, while Sam was behind us. He really didn't want to surf today, because liked he noticed earlier, the waves were too big for him. He was frightened, but decided to follow the gang anyway.

*0*0*

The sun was coming in through the curtain of my window. The window was open, so I could hear the birds chirping, signaling that it was morning. My mom will be coming up to my room any minute yelling at me to wake up or else she'll drag me out of bed herself. I rolled my eyes at the thought. I sat up on my bed and stretched out.

I looked over by my nightstand, searching for my familiar hat. I grabbed it and set in on top of my head. I rubbed my sleepy eyes trying to wake myself up. I'm not a morning person. I like to sleep in, but that's kind of weird isn't it, since I get up early to hang out with the gang. I hopped out of bed and moseyed myself to my bathroom. I did my usual routine. Went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, washed my face, combed my hair with my fingers, and finally found some clean clothes to wear for the day.

I just finished putting on my sneakers when I felt somebody watching me from my doorway. It couldn't be my mom because she would have said something by now, it wasn't my dad either; he's working, the only person that it could be is….UH-OH! I looked up and saw a devilish grin spread across his face. His eyes were dancing in joy and I know my eyes reflected the opposite emotion. Before I could make a run for it, Lars lunged forward and attacked me. We wrestled for a couple of minutes and he had me in a head lock. It took him longer this time, maybe I'm getting stronger after all.

"So I heard you're going to the dentist today you little twerp." Lars said while smiling at me, obviously mocking the issue at hand.

I struggled trying to let myself free, but it made things worse. He tightened his grip on me, making sure I won't break free. Why couldn't I just be the only child?

"Yeah, what's it to you?" I asked, being very smart about it. Lars hated when I got smart with him, but it's worth it. He tightened his grip a little tighter, knocking off my hat in the process. I knew the whomping was coming.

"What did you say you little lame-o? Are you getting smart with me?" Lars asked angrily. He balled his hand that wasn't holding me into a fist and started rubbing his knuckles on my hair, giving me a noogie.

"Get away from me!" I screamed still trying to break free from Lars's grip. He finally let go and I stumbled onto the floor. I reached for my hat and set it on top of my head, rubbing where Lars noogied me. I stood up and eyed Lars, wanting to know why he was in my room the first place. Usually he doesn't ask questions about where I'm going, but he said something about the dentist. I want to know what his intentions are.

"Why are you here Lars?" I asked skeptical, noticing that he was walking around my room, messing with stuff.

"That's a stupid question dork. I live here duh." Lars shot back at me. Maybe I'm not going to get an answer after all.

"I mean why do you care I'm going to the dentist? You never care where I go." I said crossing my arms. He must be up to something.

Lars snickered. "I don't care, I actually feel sorry for you." Lars said in a serious tone, almost sounding sincere. This caught my attention.

"What are you talking about?" I raised an eyebrow curiously. What did he mean 'I actually feel sorry for you?' I didn't understand what he was trying to say.

Lars turned around, not facing me and I promise I heard a snicker come out of him, or maybe it was my imagination running wild. Lars turned towards me and he looked really concern. I've never seen Lars so concerned about something. He usually doesn't care about anybody but himself, now he's caring about me. Am I missing something here?

"I feel sorry for you because you're going to be in a whole lot of pain, so much pain that I don't know if you can take it." Lars said sympathetically. Has he gone insane? I've never seen Lars act this way, maybe he's being serious.

I swallowed really hard, knowing that Lars heard me. My voice cracked every now and then. "Why….why would I be….in pain?" I asked frightened. Lars knew something that I wasn't aware of. Something that my mom knew and I didn't.

Lars put a hand on my shoulder. "Because everybody knows when you go to the dentist, they rip your teeth out. I hope you can handle the pain and if not…" There was silence. "Let's put it this way, I get to have your room, so see you later dork!" Lars said and walked out of my room. I heard his evil laugh when he made his way down the stairs, into the kitchen. I was struck with fear.

*0*0*

I was sitting in the waiting room at the dentist. It was like Antarctica in here compared to the desert, warmth feeling outside. I was shivering from sixty percent cold and forty percent scared. What if Lars is right? I've never came to the dentist before, so why did I start going now? I had to think if Lars ever went to the dentist, if any of my family members went. I think my parents came once or twice; did they get their teeth pulled out too? I shook my head, trying to not think about the thought. I imagine what the gang was doing right now. They're probably having the time of their lives, mountain biking and catching extreme air. I on the other hand am bored out of my mind and a little scared. I can't let Lars get to me like this. Maybe, just maybe he's lying. I hope he's lying because if he isn't, then I'm in a whole lot of trouble.

"Maurice Rodriguez" The assistant called out through the wooden doors. My mom and I got up from where we were sitting and walked down a narrow hall. There were a couple of rooms and hallways, but not enough to get lost in. She led us to a room at the other end of the hall and told me to take a seat in the chair that reclined. My mom took another seat in the corner, looking around the room, admiring the decorations. They were pictures of teeth and toothbrush advertisements; some kid with braces was smiling for the camera, holding out a brand of toothpaste. I bet he wasn't smiling after he got those braces put on.

The assistant came back in and took my blood pressure and asked my mom and me how we were doing. I gave simple answers when she asked questions like "good", "yes", and "no". I wasn't in the mood for chit-chat, but the assistant and my mom were talking about the weather and what not. I tuned them out after about five minutes. The conversation was over because now she was talking directly to me.

"Hi Maurice, my name is Darcy and I'm going to be taking x-rays of your teeth." She said happily. She looked to cheerful to be working at the dentist. She grabbed this white budged looking thing and put plastic over it. "Have you ever done this before?" Darcy asked me.

I shook my head. "No, I've never came here before." I didn't want to look frightened, but how could I not if I didn't know what she was going to do to me?

She smiled "Don't worry, this won't hurt. I'm going to place this" she held up the white thing wrapped in plastic to show me "in a few areas where you're teeth are and all you have to do is bite down hard okay?"

I guess that thing was for x-rays. That didn't sound too hard. Bite down on that white thing? No problem. "Okay" I told her.

She made me open my mouth and placed the white thing inside my mouth and adjusted it. "Bite down" Darcy told me. I did what I was told and it felt really unconformable. It was hurting my teeth and my gums. She got this circle looking thing that was hanging to the left of me. She swiveled it around and aligned it where the white thing that was in my mouth. She pressed a few buttons and she went over to the laptop. I saw a digital picture of my teeth. It looked pretty cool. She walked over to me and retrieved the white thing out of my mouth. We did the same thing about eighteen times.

"Okay", Darcy said, "You'll all done. I'm going to show these x-rays to Dr. Lopez and she'll be in here to explain everything going on with your teeth. She'll be here shortly." Darcy left and my mom smiled at me.

"That wasn't so bad, right Maurice?" My mom asked me. I forgot she was sitting there in the first place. I wish she should have stayed in the waiting room, I felt like a baby while she was with me.

"I guess it was okay." I said happily, a smile playing across my face. Now I can get out of here and go hang out with the gang, the sooner the better. Dr. Lopez better hurry up because I have plans for the rest of the day. If I don't skateboard or surf I think I'm going to go crazy. Dr. Lopez came through the door smiling, while I was on my thinking rant.

"Hello how is everybody today?" Dr. Lopez told us. She had brown short hair that went to her shoulders, piercing green eyes, and a light tan. I couldn't tell if she was Mexican or something else. Maybe she was half Mexican because since I have a whole lot of cousins, their eyes are usually brown, but I could be wrong. She was wearing a white jacket under her orange scrubs. She looked nice enough.

"We're doing great Dr. Lopez." My mom said happily. My mom loved meeting new people. She was very friendly, just like my dad. Lars was different, but yet kind of the same. He was nice to the people he barely met, but for the people he knew for a very long time, like my friends, he's a jerk to us. As for me, I was okay meeting new people. I guess I really don't want to talk like how my mom and Dr. Lopez do because their adults and I'm still a kid; a kid that wasn't to get outside and surf, skateboard, rollerblade…..ANYTHING!

Dr. Lopez had the laptop that Darcy took out of the room and set in on a desk. She had my digital x-rays and they looked really cool. I was going to ask if I get a copy of one, but I decided to hold my tongue.

"Alright, well Maurice I'm Dr. Lopez and I've looked over your x-rays and your teeth seem perfectly healthy." She smiled as she was looking at the x-rays.

I looked over to my mom and she was smiling and listening very carefully. I couldn't help but ask. "Does this mean I'm done for today and I can go home?" I received a death glare from my mom.

"Maurice, be quiet and let the Doctor speak. I'm sorry Dr. Lopez, Maurice is a little anxious." My mom said to Dr. Lopez. I am anxious. I want to leave this building immediately and go have some fun. I've never done anything in my entire life. I have to go see my friends and catch waves and catch air on the half-pipe. Hopefully I'll be done very soon.

Dr. Lopez laughed at my statement. I thought she would be one of those really mean doctors, but she's not. "Don't worry Mrs. Rodriguez. I know how kids are." She looked at me. "I'm sorry Maurice, but I did come across something in your x-rays." This can't be good.

"What is it?" My mom asked worried.

"It's no big deal Mrs. Rodriguez, really it's not. I did come across how Maurice's teeth are growing in." She pointed at one of the x-rays. "You see here, how they're coming in crooked. That's going to be a problem when they fully start to grow. They might not look crooked now, but they will get there in a couple of years." Dr. Lopez explained.

I couldn't believe what she was saying. I touched my teeth with my finger, trying to feel if they were crooked or not. I wonder how you fix crooked teeth. I wonder if I'm ever going to fix them. I bet they're going to pull them out and make me wear fake teeth like I see old people wear. Lars was right! He's going to get my room because I'm going to die from pain. Oh the humanity!

"What do you suggest we do then Doctor?" My mom said. I know exactly what she's going to say. 'We're going to pull them out and give him fake teeth.' I don't want to hear the answer to that question, but something made me listen anyway.

"It's quite simple actually." Dr. Lopez smiled. Does she always smile? That smile is starting to freak me out. "We give him braces. It's a simple procedure. It takes about an hour or so. He will need both top and bottom, but if you don't want to do it now, it's completely fine." Dr. Lopez informed us.

Suddenly my eyes drifted to the kid with braces, holding the toothpaste. I'm going to look like a freak with metal in my mouth. Oh, the pain and the humiliation I'm going to face! I'm going to be the laughing stock in Ocean Shores, next to Eddie, Price of the Netherworld. My friends are going to laugh at me; Otto of all people is going to make fun of me. He will never let me live this down. I'm going to be bumped from best bro, to metal mouth. I can't believe this is happening.

"You said that we didn't have to do it now correct?" My mom asked.

"Yes, there is no pressure what so ever." Dr. Lopez informed my mom.

I looked over to my mom, who was thinking something over. "What do you suggest we do?" My mom asked Dr. Lopez. No! Why can't my mom make a decision now? I can't believe she's actually thinking about putting braces in my mouth! Is she insane? She's my mom and moms are supposed to protect their children from danger, not put them in danger!

"If Maurice was my child, I would put braces on him now. Why wait? That's the question I ask most parents. Yes, I understand financial problems, but to the parents that have insurance, like your family, I wouldn't wait because you have the money now. If you wait a couple of years, he has to wear them longer and I know that no child wants to wear braces for a long time." Dr. Lopez smiled at me.

She's right about that. I don't want to wear braces forever, heck I don't want to wear braces period. Why can't my mom say 'we're going to wait' and get it over with. I have stuff to do and places to go. I don't have time for this.

"Is it okay if I call my husband? I have to see what he says about this." My mom told Dr. Lopez. She pulled out her phone from her purse.

"Of course, you can step out here." Dr. Lopez opened the door and gestured my mom to step out into the hallway. "I'll be back in five minutes." She told my mom.

She shut the door and I was all alone, sitting in the dentist chair. I looked at the x-rays on the computer. They did look slightly crooked. Why does bad stuff always happen to me? My dad is my only hope for not getting braces. If he says no, then my mom will say no too. I was startled when my mom opened the door. She closed her cell phone and gave me a genuine smile.

I sat up from my chair. "Well?" I asked anxious.

"Your father said….." My mom was interrupted by Dr. Lopez, who came through the door.

"Did you make a decision?" Dr. Lopez asked nicely.

"We did." My mom said. "We decided" She looked at me and smiled and turned her attention back to Dr. Lopez "to have him get braces."

My mouth literally dropped open. My parents betrayed me, of all people. My life was flashing before my eyes. I imagined how the next few years of my life is going to be. Be made fun of, being picked on, stuffed in the trashes at school, my lame-o brother making fun of me. Life as I knew it will never be the same.

*0*0*

"Ow, ow , ow, ow, ow! OW!" I yelped for the hundredth time that day. I was in my bathroom, looking into the mirror above my sink, pocking at my braces. Dr. Lopez really didn't take a long time. It only seemed like a half hour when she told me I was done. I smiled in the mirror. I don't know how long I've been in the bathroom; it's probably been an hour. I just couldn't get over the fact that my braces kind of looked cool, well to me. They were green, my favorite color. She let me pick which color I wanted, so of course I chose green. I poked at them again. "Ow!" Dr. Lopez said it will take a couple of days for my mouth to stop hurting and I have to stay away from certain foods, like sticky or hard foods, and sugar. My life is going to be horrible the next two years.

I decided to stop looking at my braces and went to sit on my bed. My mouth felt swollen. Dr. Lopez also recommended putting ice on my mouth so the swelling can go down. I decided to tough it out. It was 1 o' clock, meaning my friends were probably at the Shore Shack by now. I was tempted to go over there and see what they were doing, but my mom said "You can't go anywhere because of your teeth" or "What if you get hit in the face" or "Fall down on your skateboard." Blah, Blah, Blah is all I heard from my mom. My mom worries too much. She needs to take a chill pill.

I don't know what else to do. I wonder what my friends will think of my braces. Good thing I decided to stay home, I bet they would laugh at me. I can't stay home forever though. I have to think of something. Obviously thinking took everything out of me because before I knew it I fallen asleep and was woken up from someone calling my name.

"Twister! Twister are you home?!" The voices sounded very familiar. The voices were coming from my window. I peeked out my window, being very careful so no one could see me and Otto, Reggie, and Sam were on their bikes. They were talking amongst themselves and finally they went to the front door.

"Oh crap." I said out loud to myself. I have to think of something. I was scrambling through my room, looking for something that I can put over my mouth; finally I found what I was looking for. I found my surgical mask. I can't quite remember how I got it, but I have one. I think I asked for one when I went to the hospital one day. Anyway, doesn't matter I got one, I'm just thankful I had one.

There was a knock at the door. "Maurice, your friends are here to see you. Remember you can't go anywhere with them." My mom informed me. She turned around and continued to go about her business.

I went downstairs, with my surgical mask on, and opened the front door. I walked outside onto the porch with my three best friends. The gang was giving me a suspicious look.

"Uhh hey guys." I barely said because my mouth was still hurting. I'm guessing they were me because they all greeted me with "heys" and "what's up?"

"Dude, what are you wearing?" Otto asked curious. "You look like you're about to go do some surgery or something."

"Yeah Twist, why are you wearing that mask?" Reggie asked questionably.

Oh crud. I didn't think this far in my plan. I have to think of something quick.

"I uhh have to wear this because I can't let my mouth…..get in contact with the sunlight." That is the worst excuse I could ever come up with.

"Your mouth can't come in contact with the sunlight?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've never heard of that before."

"Yeah, well you see if it does come in contact, my mouth will start hurting and yeah it would be very very bad. Hehe" I laughed uneasily, trying to ease the tension.

I guess they decided not to ask any more questions because I know for sure they didn't buy my excuse. "Uhh okay, anyways Twist, do you wanna come surf with us, since you had to bail on us earlier." Otto asked excitedly. Does he HAVE to bring that up? I almost forgot I had braces when he asked that question.

"Sorry guys, but I can't because my mom said no. I just came back from the dentist and she wants to make sure my mouth is fully healed-" Oh no! I said too much.

"Healed?" Reggie asked confused, crossing her arms? "What did they do to your mouth?"

"Nothing." I said simply. "Nothing at all. I have to go inside now, I'll see you guys. Later" I sprinted inside, making things worse for myself.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked. "Twister's acting really weird. Weirder than usual." Sam stated and walked over to his bike.

"Aww forget him guys. If he doesn't want to hang out with us, then let him act like a shoobie. I wanna surf, come on Sam." Otto and Sam headed towards the beach, but Reggie stayed behind.

"I wonder what's up with Twister?" Reggie asked herself and rode after her little brother and Sam. What she didn't know that she was being watched by Twister, who was in his room.

*0*0*

I woke up the next morning with some relief. My mouth stopped hurting a little bit and I didn't feel so groggy anymore. I stretched out of my bed and decided that I need to tell the gang one way or another about my braces. I looked at the alarm clock. I knew the gang would be at the Shack getting some breakfast before they went out surfing, I decided this would be perfect. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth very carefully, washed my face, got dressed, and put my hat on. I grabbed my board from behind the door and made my way downstairs.

My mom was in the kitchen. "Bye mom, see you later!" I called out to her.

"You better be careful Maurice and I mean it!" She warned me. I gulped as I closed the front door behind me. I better listen to what she says. I walked out into the sun and for the heck of it I smiled. I could see my mouth glisten in the sunlight. "That looks really cool." I got on my board and headed for the Shore Shack.

Otto, Reggie, and Sam were all sitting at the bar of the Shore Shack, enjoying their breakfast.

"Dad! You should have seen how much air I was getting yesterday. I was like OOOO! And then YEAH! As I landed onto the ground with my bike. You should have been there, I'm telling you." Otto said excitedly, using hand movements to show what he did yesterday.

Reggie rolled her eyes. "You're forgetting the part when you beefed it big time." She said while taking a sip of her orange juice.

Otto shot daggers at her. "Did not? Ask Twister. Hey Twister back me up here. Oh?" Otto said disappointed. Otto forgot that Twister wasn't even there yesterday and he wasn't at the Shack either. What's happening to Twister? Otto thought. Otto felt like he hasn't hung out with Twister for ages. If they didn't stop by yesterday, he almost would have forgotten what he looked like.

"Speaking of Twister, where is he?" Raymundo asked. Even though Twister got on Raymundo's nerves, he knew Twister meant well.

"I don't know. He was acting really weird yesterday?" Sam said while taking a bite of his breakfast burrito.

"Yeah, he couldn't hang out with us because his mom said he couldn't. She didn't want him to hurt his mouth." Reggie informed Raymundo.

Raymundo scratched his head. "Hurt his mouth? What did he do to it?" Raymundo asked puzzled.

"He went to the dentist and he didn't tell us what happened. I don't know what's up with him." Otto said angrily, hating the fact that Twister is hiding something from him.

"I can tell you what happened." I said as I skated into the Shore Shack, covering my mouth.

The gang wheeled around so fast in their seats, they almost fell off. I kicked my board up and set it against the wall. I stood in front of my friends, my mouth still covered with my hand.

"Twist, you're not wearing your surgical mask, but you're still covering your hand." Sam informed everybody.

"Thanks Einstein. We can see that." Otto teased Sam. Sam crossed his arms and straightened his glasses.

"Dude" Otto continued. "Why are you covering your mouth still?"

I took a deep breath. "I lied about yesterday you guys. My mouth can make contact with the sun. I didn't want you to find out the real reason I couldn't go out yesterday." I said sadly. This is it, no turning back. I took my hand away from my mouth, showing them how my lips were a little bit swollen. I couldn't show them that I go braces, not yet.

"Why is your lips swollen?" Reggie asked, scrunching her eyebrows together, trying to figure out what he was trying to say.

Everybody was listening to him now. "Twister, do you have….braces?" Sam asked with confidence. He knew for a fact that Twister had braces. Sam put the pieces of the puzzle together, the strange behavior, covering his mouth, lying. Twister had braces.

Otto started laughing "Haha! Squid, you're so funny. I thought you were the smart one. Twister doesn't have braces, right Twister?" Otto asked his best bro. "Twister?" Otto asked again anxiously.

I forced a smile and everybody saw my glistening green braces. Everybody was shocked. I saw everybody's mouth drop open, except Sam because he knew before anybody else that I had gotten braces. You can't outsmart a Squid. I tried to speak clearly and fluently as possible. "You see. I thought everybody would make fun of me because I had braces. I didn't want everybody busting on me and I thought I would be the lamest guy in Ocean Shores. I'm sorry I lied, but I think these braces are cool."

There was silence. Nobody spoke for quite a while until Otto piped up. "So you're like a braceface?" Otto asked, laughing afterwards.

Reggie hit her little brother on the shoulder. "Otto!" She yelled.

"Otto, apologize to Twister now." Raymundo said firmly.

"Aww man. Twist, you knew I was playing right?" Otto asked sympathetically. He jumped up from the bar stool he was sitting at and grabbed a fork. He walked over to me smiling. I wonder why he has that fork. Is he planning on stabbing me with it?

"Do they hurt?" Reggie asked curious. She wanted to know just as much as anybody else did, they were just afraid to ask.

I smiled. "Kinda, but the doctor said that my mouth will stop hurting in a couple of days, as long as I follow her orders."

"What are the orders?" Sam piped up. Otto was still by my side. What on Earth is he doing?

"I can't eat anything hard, or anything that sticks to my teeth. Oh and I have to cut back on the sugar too." I said sadly. My whole childhood is going to be ruined because of my braces.

"Hey can you open your mouth Twister?" Otto asked, while holding the fork up.

I raised an eyebrow at him and stepped back a little before he stabbed me with the fork. "Why?" I asked curiously, knowing that he was up to something.

"I wanna see something, so open up." Otto demanded at me.

I put my hands in front of me. "Okay okay fine." I opened my mouth, just like he asked.

He put the fork up to my mouth, making it touch my braces. My mouth was beginning to hurt, but I didn't say anything.

"Uhh Otto what are you doing?" Reggie asked, crossing her arms, looking really annoyed.

"I'm trying to see if Twister's braces are magnetic." Otto said happily.

I lightly pushed him away. "Dude cut it out." I said angrily. I knew Otto would make fun of me. Why does he have to do this to me?

"Otto!" Raymundo said raising his voice. "Stop being rude to Twister."

Otto pouted. "Sorry dude, it's not every day I see somebody with braces. You're not a total dork."

"Otto, don't push it." Raymundo warned.

"What did I say?" Otto asked confused.

"Can you please grow a brain Rocket Boy?" Reggie asked. She hopped off the stool as well. "Twist, I think your braces are cool looking. Maybe I can write an issue in the Zine about dental hygiene and you getting braces. I can ask questions like 'Do they hurt?' and "What can you not eat with them?' It'll be super awesome, right Sammy?" Reggie was so excited about me having braces; it was hard for me not to pass up the opportunity.

"Yes Reggie. It will be informative to our readers." Sam got off of his stool and cleaned his glasses with his shirt.

"Yeah and then you could talk about how lame they are." Otto said while laughing.

I glared at him. Otto and I hardly fight, but he's really pushing my buttons. I rolled my eyes. Even though Otto is my best bro, it took everything I had not punch him. Why couldn't he understand that I already felt bad about getting braces? I wish he understood how I felt. I guess it's not enough that I have braces, now he has to make fun of them too. Some best bro he is.

"Otto, can't you say something nice to Twister?" Reggie said, defending me. That's what I like about Reggie. She didn't care if Otto was her brother. She stood up for what she believed in and isn't afraid to speak her mind.

Otto sighed. "I guess nobody can take a joke nowadays. Okay fine. Twist, your braces look cool….for a dork." Otto started laughing. I had enough of this.

"You know what? I'm done. I'm going surfing." I told the gang. I grabbed my surfboard and headed towards the ocean. I heard Reggie say something along the lines like 'You're a jerk'. I didn't care anymore. I continued to walk towards the ocean.

*0*0*

I silently thanked myself for wearing my swim trunks today under my shorts. The water feels good against my hot skin. It seems like I haven't surfed in years. I smiled to myself. I didn't know why I was so happy, when Otto was trying to make me feel bad. I guess I really don't care what he says anymore. I stared out onto the horizon. It was a nice day to surf. The waves weren't great or dull, but just enough to keep me busy. I noticed splashing sounds behind me. I turned around and saw Reggie and Sam right behind her.

"Hey Twist." She greeted me. "Is it okay if we surf with you? I understand if you need your space." She flashed her white glistening teeth at me. Reggie's smile was so pretty, everything about her I noticed was perfect-…. Wait! Did I just say that about Reggie? What is wrong with me?

I gestured out to the ocean. "Who am I to say that you can't surf here? I don't own the beach you know. You know since its Rocket Beach, I think I'm the one that should be asking you if I can surf here." I splashed water at her playfully.

She laughed. "Whatever Twister. Hey Sammy are you okay?!" Reggie asked. We both turned around and Sam was right behind us.

"Yeah, don't worry about me guys, I'm fine." He said in between breathes. Both Reggie and I started laughing. It became silent.

"Look Twister, I'm sorry about my brother busting on you a lot. Don't listen to him. Between you and me, I think your braces look pretty awesome. I'm sorry that Otto can't be more understanding like-"

"You?" I asked, interrupting her. I knew that sounded cheesy, but it was true. Reggie understood what I was going through, well technically she didn't, but at least she was caring.

She shook her head yes. "And Sammy." We both looked at him.

"Yeah, Reggie and I are understanding people, so if both of you don't mind, if we're not going to surf can we go on shore, because I'm beginning to prune." Sam asked examining his skin. I rolled my eyes. Sam always worried about his skin. At least I surfed a few before Reggie and Sam came.

"Sure Squid why not?" I asked. I looked over at the beach and saw a familiar boy wearing familiar dreadlocks. Oh great, I was just starting to get over the fact that Otto will never understand me.

"Leaving so soon guys?" Otto asked, while paddling towards us.

"Yes." Reggie said simply. She paddled over to Sam and they were right in front of Otto and I. Otto was in front of me, sitting on his board diagonal from where I was. We were all facing the beach. I started to paddle before Otto stopped me.

"Twister, can I talk to you for a minute?" Otto asked. I didn't look at him; I didn't want to look at him. For all I know he came here to bust on me more.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess." I simply answered. He knew I didn't want to talk.

"Twister you're my best bro and I'm really sorry for busting on you a lot. I know you counted on me to not make fun of you. I guess I let you down. The truth is, your braces do look really cool, and also, I know that if I had braces, you wouldn't make fun of me, which makes you a better friend. I won't bust on you anymore I swear. Do you accept my apology?" Otto finally stopped his ranting. He did seem sincere and it was true. After Twister left, his dad had a heart to heart talk to him, which made Otto feel really bad. He decided to stop acting like a jerk, because Otto knew if he had braces, Twister wouldn't bust on him.

I thought about Otto's apology. He did seem really sincere about the whole thing; maybe just maybe, Otto isn't a total jerk. I decided to put my differences aside. "Apology accepted dude." I stuck out my hand for a woogie and Otto looked surprised at me. "Are you going to leave me hanging bro?" I asked, smiling at him.

Otto shook his head. "No way dude!" We did our woogie handshake and stared laughing. Reggie and Sam noticed that we were talking, so they decided to give us some space, but you could still hear their conversation. "Hey guys are we gonna surf or what?!" Otto called out to them.

I heard Reggie telling Sam to come on, of course Sam complained. "I thought we were going back to shore?" Sam asked Reggie. It didn't take them long to get to where Otto and I were.

"That was before Otto stopped being a total loser." Reggie said, splashing water at her little brother. She smiled and gave me wink, showing that she was just teasing Otto.

"Whatever Reg." Otto said rolling his eyes. "Enough talking, time to surf; that is, if Twister has to go back to the dentist?" Otto said trying to get a reaction out of me. Everybody's eyes were on me, seeing what I would do or what I would say.

"The only place I have to be is here, surfing with my best buds." I said happily. I didn't care if Otto tried to make me angry anymore, we're best bros. Otto and I should bust of each other once in a while. I can totally take a joke now and then.

I guess I shouldn't have had to worry about getting braces. I know the next two years are going to be super crazy, but as long as I have my friends, there is nothing I can't do. We all headed out onto the ocean, preparing to catch a wave, when I noticed something. I smiled and the sun lit up my braces, making them glisten like the ocean.

"Now that's totally awesome!" Otto said to me. He was staring at my mouth dazed because he's never seen anything like it.

"I couldn't agree more Otto-man, I couldn't agree more."

* * *

**A/N- **_I hope everybody liked it. Oh and please forgive me for spelling errors, I do apologize. Whoever is reading this story please go check out barbieparty's story. It's called Unforgettable Adventures and it's really getting off to a good start. Thanks for reading everybody and PM for any ideas for another story. Remember feedback is always welcome. Happy Reading! _


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